Last week, I had the pleasure of taking a CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator workshop with the lovely Katrina Fuller (of Natural Nesters in Hobbs, NM) and eight other amazing women from all over the state of New Mexico. This was the first step I’ve taken towards becoming a Certified Lactation Educator through CAPPA.
Here’s a little bit about what CLEs do, straight from the CAPPA website:
Lactation Educators provide informational, emotional, and practical support of breastfeeding. They may provide this service exclusively as Lactation Educators, or may use their training to augment their support in other professions, such as in the cases of doulas, childbirth educators, nurses, dietitians, and postnatal or parenting educators. In addition to providing breastfeeding information, Lactation Educators offer encouragement, companionship, an experienced point of view, and foster confidence and a commitment to breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding education is not restricted to new families, but applies to the general public and medical staff as well. Due to the limited breastfeeding information given in standard medical and nursing training, and the rampant misinformation about breastfeeding that is so prevalent today, the CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator serves as a resource for accurate, evidence-based information to the public and health care providers, as well as to childbearing families. The CAPPA CLE can be found working in a variety of settings : such as public health educators, WIC peer counselors, hospital/community educators, pediatric support professionals and in private practice as educators.
The CLE course lasted three full days and covered everything from tongue ties to supplementation to the “laid back breastfeeding” position. I learned so much about breastfeeding, including the fact that yes, men can lactate! It was an awesome experience.
I am so excited to continue working on the requirements for certification (there are quite a few!) and providing better lactation education and support to my doula clients and in the greater Albuquerque area as a whole.